The Damoras
by YouGotBurned
Summary: Magnus Damora doesn't want to be the father that his was. He wants to raise his children in a loving, healthy home full of light. A series of one-shots centered around Magnus, Cleo, and their children.
1. Twins

**Disclaimer: Falling Kingdoms belongs to Morgan Rhodes. **

The king of Mytica wasn't about to look like a fool pacing in front of her door all day and all night. He had complete faith that everything would be work out and he would have an heir soon enough or really he masked his worry well enough not to be detected by those that did end up passing by him. Instead of hovering by the door, he went to his office and poured his worries into some meaningful work. The newly combined land of Mytica still needed improvements, but after only a few minutes, he had given up on trying to do anything else while his golden hair queen was in so much pain.

So like the fool he had so pathetically tried not to become, he waited outside the door to her chambers for hours. He would give every servant a gold coin in insurance that his presence was unknown to Cleo. The wait was agonizingly long and he was drifting off to sleep on the floor when someone gently nudged his shoulder. His eyes opened and the maid jumped. It didn't matter how nice he had become, all the servants still saw his father's face over his. "Your royal majesty, she is finished."

He hurried to his feet and tried to calm himself before dismissing the maid and waiting a few more seconds before entering her room. Cleo looked just as beautiful as ever and she seemed, he dared to say it, glowing. Her eyes met his and she smiled. "Magnus, come look." Magnus hesitantly came closer, his arms behind his back, his posture perfectly straight. "You don't have to look so scared, Magnus." Cleo said.

"I'm not scared. I just don't want to startle him." He said, inching closer.

"And her." She replied. That made him stop. He had been too busy watching her that he hadn't notice two bundles in her arms.

_Great_, he thought, _two lives I can destroy at once_. "Two?" delivering two babies wasn't too out of the ordinary, but it was extremely rare and often, the mother would die. Thankfully, Cleo was too strong to let someone like labor take her out.

"Stop being like that and come here." She snapped, motioning for him. He finally did and she offered him one of the babies. "A princess." She said. "The oldest."

Magnus held her, afraid that someone all the darkness still inside him would somehow infect the most beautiful person he had ever seen, second to only her mother. He hurried and handed her back to Cleo and she handed him the second child. A prince. With this one, he wasn't too afraid, but he also didn't want him to turn into the prince he once was, heartless, cold, manipulative. He also handed the boy back to Cleo. "Do you have names?" He asked.

"Emilia Althea. I was saving his name for you." She said. He would argue that although Emilia was the perfect name, Althea was not, but she had been planning on paying some tribute to the woman who raised Magnus the best she could in the situation they had and Cleo was not easy to persuade.

Magnus once again took the little boy in his arms and thought. He wasn't expecting to get any say in the names of his children and so he had nothing prepared. What came out was just as shocking to him as it was obviously to Cleo, "Jonas Lukas Damora."

"Are you sure?" She asked. He nodded. He handed Jonas back to Cleo before walking around to the other side of the bed and sitting beside her. She offered him Emilia. He took her and in that moment, with Cleo next to him and their two children in their arms, the world seemed almost perfect. He still had his past. It was a past he could never forget, years and years of his life living in the darkness that his own father had created, but now he was determined to not let his children suffer through the same childhood he had. They would have a mother and a father who loved them and each other very much.

**AN: I hope that was okay? I tried to make both Magnus and Cleo be completely in character, but I'm no Morgan Rhodes. I was thinking about turning this in to a series of one-shots about life with children? Idk **


	2. Cleo's Nightmares

**Disclaimer: Falling Kingdoms belongs to Morgan Rhodes. **

Cleo still had nightmares about that one dreadful night five years ago. She would jolt awake just as the head rolled off the body and into her arms. She would let the tears fall in the darkness of her rooms and pretend that it was only a dream. It didn't actually happen, but it did and she couldn't let it go. Most nights, Magnus would wake next to her and wrap her in his arms and whisper, telling her that it was over and everything was better now. She believed him, but it didn't stop the nightmares from coming.

_The King of blood had returned from Kraeshian with a full army, Amara was at his side with the last of the kindred held tightly in her hand. It was relief to Cleo that she hadn't found a way to release the evil thing inside. Lucia stood next to her. Her power was radiating off her. She was ready, but Cleo was not. Magnus was somewhere on the battle field along with Jonas and Lysandra and the fact that she wasn't with him made her equally worried and angry. Even though she was not an experienced, she also didn't like the idea of Magnus down there alone with people who hate him. _

_Lucia grabbed her hand. "Go." She whispered. "I can protect myself." She said. _

_Cleo nodded. If anyone could protect Lucia, it was Lucia. "Magnus will be furious." _

_Lucia grinned. "Since when did you listen to my brother?" _

_Cleo returned her grin. "Good point." She let go of Lucia's hand and hurried down the stairs. She passed by several guards who tried to get her to go back, but they had no authority over her. She was the queen of Auranos. No one told her what to do. She already had weapons, but she grabbed an extra dagger from a case before leaving the palace. She had memorized where Magnus would be during the attack. It was no surprise that he had placed himself at the front of the line. He would be the first person his father would see and she would be the second. He would be taken down by the bond he created. _

_Jonas saw her first. "Princess, what are you doing here?" He snapped, making Magnus turn around. He was off his horse in seconds. _

"_Can't you ever listen to me?" He asked, his features were as neutral as ever, but Cleo had become an expert in reading them. He was angry, but behind that, he was also proud. Auranos was her home and she would protect it. "At least, stay as close to me as possible." He took her hand only briefly before returning to his horse and motioning for her to get on after him. She obeyed and the two waited as Gauis, Amara, and their army drew closer. "Cleo?" Magnus whispered so soft that she could hardly hear him. _

"_Magnus?" She put a hand on his side and some of the tense in him loosened. _

"_I love you." He said. He had said it only once before and at the time, she had rejected him and every day after that; she had regretted it because she loved him very much. She loved him more than she ever thought she would. _

"_I love you too." She said and she felt his sigh. _

"_When this is over, things will change, but can you promise me one thing?" He asked her. She nodded. "Marry me." She nodded again. They didn't need to add the "if". If they lived, she would marry him again and again and again. She glanced back at Jonas whose eyes wasn't on her but lifted toward the palace where the person he loved stood waiting to unleash her power. _

_Minutes went by and then the shouting began. Cleo looked up and locked eyes with Gaius, his lips tugged up in a frightening grin. She couldn't look away from him because if she did, she would cry and she couldn't let that happen. Instead, she held onto Magnus with one hand and her dagger in the other. Finally her eyes drifted from Gaius and to the soldier coming straight for them. She tossed her dagger and it landed in his thigh, taking him down long enough for Jonas to kill him. She grabbed another dagger from its holder and the fighting continued. _

_The closer they got to Gaius and Amara, her body count went up. She hated it, but it had to be done. The horse stopped suddenly and both Cleo and Magnus fell to the ground. They both got to their feet and continued on foot. Cleo stayed as close to Magnus as she possible could, but a blast separated them and she was left only with Jonas. He came up beside her. _

"_Where's Magnus?" He asked as he took down another soldier. She shook her head. "Lucia is sending up the barrier. He needs to be on the other side before that happens if he wants to kill Gaius or Lucia will do it herself." _

"_He knows the plan. It won't deviate from it for me." Cleo said and it was true. Magnus loved her, but it was more important that he saved Mytica. _

"_I'll take you back to the palace." He suggested. _

"_I can go back myself. They need you here." She said and began to run off when she fell to the ground and a soldier stood above her, his sword to her throat. Jonas was quick and took him out with a clean blade to his own throat. Cleo stood. "Maybe, that isn't true." She lifted her chin and smile appeared on Jonas's face. _

_Cleo's eyes widened as Jonas's head rolled off his neck and into her arms, his blood staining her. The body went limb and fell to the ground. "Jonas." She yelled, tossing the head towards the body. The soldier who had killed him stood over her with a wicked grin. It wasn't a soldier at all. It was Gaius. _

"_Nice to see you again, Princess Cleiona." He hissed. _

She yelled, waking herself up. Shivering, she snuggled in closer to Magnus and despite herself, kept her eyes away from his face. The face that looked so much like his father that sometimes she couldn't tell the difference. In the morning, it would be okay and she would see Magnus as who he was and not who he could have been, but for now, she traced circles on his chest and wept silently.

**AN: Thank you for the reviews! **


	3. A Birthday Party

Magnus couldn't be more disgusted by the layers and layers of pink and blue ribbons hanging on the ballroom wall. They were not only unneeded, he also didn't want them there. He didn't understand why they were throwing a birthday party for two babies that wouldn't remember it in the years to come. He had been arguing about it with Cleo the whole three months she had been planning for today, but she refused to back down. He had finally managed to shorten the guest list to only the top nobles and friends of the royal family and it would take place in the smaller ballroom instead of the great one that most balls were held. It was a small victory.

But the ribbons were over-the-top and he hated them. "Do we really need all these ribbons?" He snapped at Cleo. She simple stuck out her chin and nodded. "Why so many then?" He could have ripped half of them down himself. They were falling in his face.

"The children will love it." She said and laughed as she flipped one away from her husband's face.

"They're only a year old, Cleo."

His Queen rolled her eyes, but the smile remained. "Other children, Magnus."

Although he knew his features showed nothing, he could have vomited at the thought. He had barely been able to accept having his own children. Other children in the palace made him incredibly nervous. Cleo must have noticed because she laid a hand on his arm. "Don't worry so much. Today will be fun, I promise."

He did smile at that. Her promises were now gold to him. His eyes fell to her stomach where a small bump was already forming. He resisted placing his hand there and straightened his back. "I'll go get the children." He said and left. He took back hallways and hidden staircases to avoid running into all the unwanted guests. The king hated sharing his home and family with so many people, but it was only for a few hours a couple of times a year. He would endure it.

The nanny, a pretty young woman from Paelsia, was cleaning when Magnus knocked at the door. She stiffened and turned to him. "Are they ready?" He asked, looking past her and into the two cribs.

"Yes, your majesty. I put them to sleep a while back so they wouldn't be too much trouble at the party." She notified him. He nodded and stepped closer. "Shall I wake them?"

His eyes stayed on his children when he answered her. "I'll wait here until they wake. The Queen sent down a dress for you to wear to the party. She would appreciate it that you arrive early." He said. He heard her gasp, but before she could say anything, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I'll bring them to the party."

Magnus sat and watched his children sleep. Emilia's short black curls stuck to her face with sweat and despite the color of hair, she looked so much like her mother that Magnus's heart swelled with just looking at her. While she slept peacefully with a smile on her tiny face, her brother snored almost as loud as a grown man would. Lukas had no hair yet, but it was showing signs of being dark just like his. He had already looked so much like Magnus, it unnerved the king. He refused to let Lukas grow to be like him.

Emilia's little body shuffled and her eyes, a bright greenish blue, opened sleepily. His heir stared up at him for only seconds before her arms where reaching up for him. He no longer hesitated to pick her up like he had the first few months. He smiled as she took his face in both her hands and kissed him on the nose. "Good afternoon, Princess." He whispered to her. She grinned and buried her face in his shoulder.

"The party is about to start." Cleo said from the door. She came in and opened her arms for the princess, but Emilia clung tighter to Magnus. "She is much too attached to her father when she won't even come to her mother." Cleo tsked, but smiled. "She needs to be changed."

Magnus would have done it himself, but realized quickly that he had no idea how and it was better for a mother to help anyways. He handed Emilia to Cleo even though the child protested. "I'll get Lukas." Cleo nodded and took Emilia into the dressing room.

His son had just woken up and clung to the side of the crib, glaring at his parents. "You don't want to go either, do you?" Magnus asked, picking him up. His son said nothing, of course, but his pout answered for him. He wanted to sleep just a bit longer, but they had taken that from him. "Sorry, son." Magnus laughed.

After both of his children were dressed and ready, the family made their way down to the ballroom where the guests were already growing impatient. Magnus shifted Lukas to his other hip. Both the twins were already walking a few steps, but not well enough to let down in a room full of older children and half blind elders. The announcer introduced them; Magnus gave a short speech welcoming them to the palace, and the party began.

Emilia and Lukas played in a small area meant only for children their size and while Cleo had told the nanny she was off duty and should enjoy the party, the nanny stayed close enough to the children to be of any assistance the king and queen might need. Magnus, like he did most parties, sat at his table and watched as Cleo mingled with the nobility. She was always better at that than he was. He was drinking from his tea when Cleo finally found her way back to him accompanied by her friends. "Magnus, you remember Lysandra and her son." She said, motioning to the pair.

Magnus stood. Yes, he remembered them both. Lysandra was a rebel that his father had imprisoned, but had managed to escape. She was also there the day they finally defeated him. She was a brave warrior even though she had a young son in hiding. He had forgotten the boy's name. "It's nice to see you again." He said even though he could care less.

"I wish I could say the same." She hissed. He had also forgotten that she hated him and apparently, so had Cleo. Now he remembered. They had both watched his father kill her brother all those years ago. Cleo had told him once that her son was named after her and his father's brothers. Gregory Tomas. The boy couldn't be more than seven years old. "Paelsia is still waiting for its independence from the monarchy like it had been promised years ago."

"I can assure you, Lysandra that Magnus is working as quickly as he can. He doesn't want Paelsia to be reduced back into the starving country it used to be." Cleo said. She took the woman's arm. "Let's go see the children." Lysandra followed Cleo, but left her son behind.

Magnus sat back in his seat and eyed the young boy. "Hi," Gregory said. Magnus didn't say anything. "My father told me that you aren't as bad as my mother says you are." He continued. "Well, my step-father." He corrected.

"Tell him I appreciate it." The king said, trying to get the boy to leave. "Don't you want to go play with the other children?" He said after Gregory made no move to leave.

The boy shook his head, his brown locks falling in his face. "I don't have any friends. My mom left them at home." Gregory said.

Magnus sat up straighter in his seat and motioned to the boy. "You can sit if you want." He said. Gregory nodded and sat in a chair directly across from the king of Mytica. "Do you have any siblings?" Magnus asked after the silence had become too much to bare. He loved when it was silent, but not when people around him were making it awkward.

"Sure do. There's Lilly, Becca, Fredrick, Brion, and about twenty others."

Magnus chocked on his tea. "Twenty others?" He asked. He hadn't known Lysandra was into having so many children.

Gregory frowned. "Well, Lily and Brion are my actually sister and brother. My parents own the orphanage." He said.

"I see." Of course that made more sense. He cursed himself for not having understood that. Both Auranos and Limeros had orphanages that Cleo and Lucia would take trips to go visit, but none of those had very many orphans. Not like the one in Paelsia. He made a mental note to have Lucia take extra funding to their orphanage next time she went.

Gregory continued to tell Magnus about his family and how he considered all the children in the orphanage his brothers and sisters. Finally, Lysandra and Cleo returned. Lysandra dragged her son out of the chair. "We should get going." She told him and then turned to Magnus. "The old chief's daughter is more than ready to take on the role as chief of Paelsia."

"It shouldn't be much longer." Magnus reassured her. "It was a pleasure speaking to you both." Magnus shook their hands and Cleo kissed them both on the cheek before they left.

The rest of the party went by like a blur. Magnus spoke to some nobles about politics. He held Emilia and Lukas a few times and he was more than relieved when it was finally time for everyone to leave and he was left alone with his family. The nanny insisted she take the children upstairs and let Cleo and Magnus retire early that evening.

The couple walked slowly to their shared suit. Although they both had separate rooms they could easily sleep in instead of being cramped or woken up by each other, they both choose to sleep together, even on nights after a big fight. It was easier to be together than a part. "Thank you." Cleo said when they neared the door.

"For what?" He asked, twirling a loose golden curl in his fingers. He barely registered what she said. He was too worried about taking her hair down.

She smiled and grabbed his hand. "For sitting through the party without much complaint. Emilia and Lukas will thank you one day too." She placed his hands on her stomach. "You're a good father, Magnus. To them and you will be to this new one. Trust me." She said and he did. He trusted her with everything.

**A/N Sorry it took so long to post, but now that it's summer I'm going to try to post at least two chapters a week. Thanks for reading **


	4. Four Little Graves

**Disclaimer: Falling Kingdoms belongs to Morgan Rhodes. **

Cleo rolled over to face Magnus; he was still in a deep sleep. It wasn't surprising he would sleep in considering he had been up for three days insuring that the transition from absolute monarchy to a republic in Paelsia was smooth. He was finally getting the sleep he deserved. Cleo smiled and lifted a hand to caress his cheek. She touched his face, but left something sticky in the process. She shot up and removed the covers as quickly as she could.

A pool of blood surrounded her and she knew what it meant. "Magnus!" She cried, turning back to him. He was already fully alert, taking in the scene. He lit a candle, illuminating his face. A trail of blood coated the same path as his scar. Cleo yelped. Her whole body went still.

"It's okay." He soothed, getting out of bed and coming to her side. "We just have to go to the medical wing, remember? Everything will be okay. It always is." He said, lifting her into his arms and yelled for the guards. Two rushed in and stopped at the sight of their Queen in a bloody nightgown. "Go wake the healer and Lucia." Magnus said to one. "And you go get the maids." Then they were out the door and heading to the medical wing. Cleo was shaking, but she was no longer in shock. Magnus was right. She would be fine.

He sat her on the bed and paced back and forth until the healer showed up; Lucia followed closely behind. "Again?" The healer asked Cleo. Cleo nodded. "Let's see."

Magnus talked quietly in the corner with Lucia and hours later, Cleo was cleaned up and sentenced to bed rest. "I've told you both this already. My Queen can't handle having more children. Her body will not let her." The healer stood. "I'm truly sorry."

Magnus came to her side and wrapped an arm around her, but Cleo didn't let any tears fall. She hadn't been that far along with this one. As they walked to her rooms, Cleo made a stop at the gardens her mother used to attend to. Three little graves rested there and by tomorrow, another one would be beside it. Four children she was given, four children she had lost.

* * *

The Queen and King no longer slept in the same bed. They no longer had thoughts of more children and having a big family. They no longer let themselves give into their sexual desires. The queen slept in her rooms and the king in his. The room they had shared, the love they had shared in it, was locked away and was to never be used again.

They were content, they told themselves, with their two beautiful children. They didn't need anymore.

The Queen blamed herself for the miscarriages. Maybe, if she would have been more careful, if she would have listened to the healer after she had lost the second one, her broken heart wouldn't have been permanent. Now, her heart sat like a dead weight in her chest.

The King blamed himself. He should have never insisted on trying again. Miscarriages ran deep in his family line. He was to blame for it all. He was the cause of the Queen's greying hair and the dead look in her eyes. He would never forgive himself.

It had been ten years.

Although their parents loved them and each other as much as anyone could love anyone, the twins knew the sadness and heartbreak ran deep into their mother's bones. They had heard the stories, the stories of the people they had been named after and all the others that had died trying to free the country from their wicked grandfather and the kindred that wanted to take it for their own. The loss their parents had to endure when they weren't much older than the twins were now was terrifying.

So each day, the twins walked the gardens to the little graves. They gave their family flowers and candies and everything a child could want and more.

One day, the Queen caught them and a month later, they were moving to Limeros.

**A/N I'm sorry**


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